Tag Archives: Lil Helper

Lil Helper Cloth Diaper Review

I received a diaper at no cost for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own. In 2011 I reviewed Lil Helper cloth diapers. Lil Helper is one of my favorite diaper companies because of their humor, great customer service, and Baby Do Good program. Take a look at their mission for a taste of their great sense of humor. I’m so happy that they’re still in business nearly three years later, and have made some great improvements to the diaper.

Post and linked posts may contain affiliate links. There’s a picture of my real model next to my previous model. 🙂 You have probably seen my reviews of newborn diapers that I did without a baby while I was expecting my son (and I think maybe even a few before!) If you’re ever looking for one, don’t forget about my review archive.

As I’ll show you below, all 3 diapers are the same size, shape and concept, they simply have different materials in the shell and soakers/inserts. Lil Helper also sent me an extra of each cloth insert type.

I made a short video to show the diapers a bit better than I can with photos. Yes, I’m aware my videos are terrible and my prego brain makes me forget what I was going to say halfway through my sentences. 😉

As I said earlier, the 3 diapers are very much the same, they differ only in materials used. I have Charcoal Bamboo (CB) pictured in blue, bamboo (B) pictured in green and original (O) pictured in gray/stars.

The Bamboo diaper has a silky soft bamboo inner. This is amazing fabric. I want bedsheets, undergarments, shirts etc. made out of this! So far, it has stayed just as soft and silky after several washes, which is not the case for other bamboo products I have. The charcoal bamboo has an organic charcoal bamboo inner, and the original diaper has microfleece. The shell has a snap in the front and back to hold the insert. (shown L to R – B, CB, O)

They all have rear elastic, leg elastic, snap closures (with overlap), and a snap down rise to fit 7-35 lbs. (Bamboo in green, charcoal bamboo in blue & original in gray star print.) The charcoal bamboo (blue) diaper has a bamboo PUL outer that is so soft, I love it! The outer of the bamboo (green) diaper seems much nicer than standard PUL. It has a softness to it, and isn’t as “shiny” as some PUL. The original diaper and bamboo diapers come in 8 colors and 3 prints. The charcoal bamboo diapers come in 4 colors. The diaper colors are bold, yet soft. I love them. The diapers with inserts retail for $20 for the original, $23 for the bamboo and $26 for the charcoal bamboo.

Each diaper you purchase comes with a set of small and large inserts. The inserts snap together, then snap into the shell. When using the diaper on the small setting, you can use the small insert alone to make it a bit trimmer for a smaller baby that doesn’t need as much absorbency. Because the large insert has snaps on top to accept the small insert, it’s recommended that you not use the large insert without the small on top. I swear I read that on their site, and now I can’t find it. I suppose it wouldn’t be any more irritating than an exposed hip snap other diapers have, eh? (shown L to R) Original, Bamboo, Charcoal Bamboo, small insert pictured in diaper is bamboo.)

All inserts are interchangable, so you can use any of the 3 insert types in any of the 3 shells. Purchased separately, the original cotton inserts sell for $8, the organic bamboo inserts sell for $9, and the charcoal bamboo inserts sell for $10. Lil Helper calls their diapering system “all in one” since it doesn’t need a separate cover, but I consider it an “all-in-two” (AI2) since it consists of an outer diaper shell and a snap in insert. If the shell isn’t soiled, you can reuse it with a fresh insert.

Since the diaper shells are the same aside from materials used, I’ve measured each size just once, to avoid redundancy (and boring you to tears!) I pictured the small in bamboo (green), the medium in charcoal bamboo (blue) and the large in original (gray/stars.)

My son is 2 1/2 and about 28 pounds. I put him in the medium setting in all 3 diapers. He is an extremely reluctant diaper model these days. My husband already told him we’re replacing him with a “new diaper model.” (LOL.) Therefore, these diapers are definitely not on him all nice & smooth & pretty. I have to slap a clean diaper on him as quickly as possible, then try to get him to stay still long enough to take pictures! (Especially hard using a new diaper for the first time, when you have to figure out which snaps to use!) They may look a little bunchy in my photos, but that’s just the nature of diapering a Speedy Gonzales, not a reflection of diaper quality. They performed wonderfully nonetheless!

Bamboo:

Charcoal bamboo:

Original:

I had to unsnap the front of the insert from the shell on the original, in order to pull the rise up (next time I’ll know to leave the back unsnapped, putting most of the absorbency in the front.) The original insert shrank a good bit, so it restricted the expansion of the diaper. That really isn’t a big deal considering that many AI2 systems have just 1 snap anyway.

I loved the bamboo & charcoal bamboo shells & inserts, and I don’t dislike the original shell. However, I really don’t like the original inserts. They were very flat & trim when brand new, but after washing them they were bunchy and fluffy. I had a hard time keeping them contained in the diaper enough to put it on! I will just use the original shell with one of the bamboo inserts!

I also received three ridiculously soft bamboo wipes (a 5 pack is $10.) Above is what they looked like/measured when brand new.

Of course, they did shrink a little bit and got a bit pilly (above is how they looked after washing) but they are still way softer than any other wipes I have, even after many washings.

Overall, I’m very impressed with Lil Helper. They are a great company with great products, a great mission and a fun website and attitude. The diapers and inserts are made with premium materials, but since the shells can be reused with fresh inserts, the overall cost is much lower than similar diapers. See this diaper on my newborn.

How many aerospace engineers does it take to design a cloth diaper? Uhh…well…two! Mohammed Gandhi (yes, that’s his real name, I asked so you didn’t have to, hee-hee.) and Nader Abu El Samidwere college buddies, who both have a bachelors and a masters in Aerospace Engineering and have full-time jobs in the industry. When Mohammed & his wife Sophia went out looking for cloth diapers for their daughter, Zara, they were shocked by their cost and lack of functionality. It took two years for the company to take shape after Mohammed ensnared his equally geeky friend in his plans.

Lil Helpers has a Baby Do Good program where they donate one brand new PUL cloth diaper to a family in need for every 3 diapers they sell. Their Do Good Page answers all the FAQs about the program, and they hold themselves accountable for the donations on the Lil Helper blog.

Their website has an awesome page comparing cloth vs. disposable diapers, and being aware of their geeky tendencies, I’m not surprised that the cost comparison even includes water & electricity cost! 😉

I’m not saying much about their diapers today because I haven’t tried them…yet. I will be reviewing all 3 types of their cloth diapers and inserts (they also have wipes and wet bags.) Oh yeah, there will be an awesome giveaway too! They call their diapers “all-in-ones” since they do not need a separate cover, but they are what I consider an “all-in-two” since they consist of a reusable, waterproof “shell” and interchangable inserts.

The Lil Helper (affiliate link) owners live and work in Canada, so as they say, don’t worry that they’ve outsourced to India if you call and hear an accent! Lil Helpers has put a lot of thought & research into balancing value and workmanship. They originally wanted to make the diapers in Canada (and their first few hundred diapers were made in Toronto) but the cost of production was just too high. Generally, materials come from overseas anyway…even if fabric is made in Canada, the yarn would still be coming from Asia. That said, they really would prefer to make the diapers in Canada, but just couldn’t do it while still maintaining affordable prices, and continuing their Baby Do Good sell 3/donate one mission.

While the diapers are made in China now, I wanted to share what Mohammed had to say about it. I love that Lil Helper is up front, honest and transparent.

“I went to China and stayed there for a month to find a workshop that will let me view its facilities to ascertain that my products are being made in a healthy environment. After vetting 6 workshops, we finally arrived to the workshop that is currently fulfilling our orders. That was last October; it took us a year for them to get the materials, workmanship and quality up to a high standard where we would be comfortable to put our name against it. Every step of the way we also sampled the products on my daughter and a bunch of other CD babes, incorporating their suggestions into our design.

At the end of the day, we believe that there is a right way of doing business with China and then there is the fast and easy way. The right way is to go vet several workshops and be comfortable with the way your products are being made- knowing well that my own daughter would be using the diaper along with every parents’ most prized possession. The fast and easy way is to look up a company in China on the net that can make your product for the least amount of money in the fastest time without caring how and where its made. Frankly, we wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if that option was exercised.

I will be traveling to India in December and will try and find even better ways to get products made in India under more supervision.”

My absolute favorite thing about this company is the humor. Take some time to look around the Lil Helper website, and I promise you will find something to make you chuckle on every page. From their why buy from us page (“Do not be fooled by our movie star looks and redundant education- we are just like you.”) to their cloth diaper descriptions (“Your baby has had a bad case of the “disposable rash” and these are your options: #1: You let precious move around in her birthday suit and risk the defilement of the Persian rug that grandma left you in her will. #2: You cover your baby’s tush in a lil helper. Lil helper cloth diapers come closest to replicating the convenience of disposables without the overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame and financial recklessness. Thank you for choosing the second option. You got us worried for a moment.”) to their mission (check out the list of what Lil Helper was not established to do.) and FAQs, there is humor everywhere.

So, what do you think of this company? Are you excited for the review/giveaway? Take a look around their site and tell me what made you laugh the most. I promise, there are hidden gems everywhere. Read every page. 🙂

FTC compliance: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 11, 7 and 4 year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. Read More »